Apparatus for compacting concrete and the like



May 10, 1938. R; A. NIEKAMP 2,115,708

APPARATUS FOR COMPACTING CONCRETE ND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 1l, 1936Patented May I, 1938 lUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Richard A. -iekamp,Dayton, Ohio, assignor to The Master Electric Company, Dayton, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application january' 11, 193s, serial No. 58,784

4 claims. (ci. 259-72) This invention relates generally to apparatus forcompacting concrete or other plastic material, and more particularly toa vibrator adapted to be submerged in the material and vibrated so as tocompact it.

T he invention provides a means for vibrating and compacting concrete soas to produce a dense strong product which is homogeneous incharacterfrom a mix in which the proportion of water to concrete isrelatively small.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates two embodiments of myinvention,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through a vibrator;

Figure 2y is an enlarged vertical section of a portion of the apparatusshown in Figure 1;

and

Figure l3 is a longitudinal vertical section through another embodimentof the invention, partsbeing broken away.A

Referring more particularly to the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1and 2, the vibrator has a casing indicated generally by the referencenume-ral 2. The casing is formed of an upper section 3, an intermediatesection 4, and a lower section 5. 'I'he lower section is connected tothe intermediate section by bolts 6 extending through llanges 'I and 8formed on the sections 5 and 4, respectively. Sealing material 9 isplaced between the ilanges to prevent leakage of cement into thehollow'interior of the vibrator.

The lower portion of the upper casing section 3 is formed with anannular groove I0 and an outwardly extending flange II. The upper end ofthe intermediate section 4 is provided with an outwardly extendingilangel I2. The ilanges II and I2 are spaced apart by an annular washerI3 of rubber or other resilient material. Bolts I4 extend through theflanges II and I2, and a rubber washer I5 is inserted around each of thebolts between the flange' I2 and a metallic washer I6. Surrounding eachof the bolts is a non- Q resilient metallic spacing sleeve Il whichcontacts with the flange II and the washer I6. The openings I8 in theflange I2, through which the bolts and spacing sleeves extend, aresomewhat larger eilect, form a single section since they are rigidlybolted together by the bolts 6.

The intermediate and lower casing sections are provided with vanes I9extending outwardly from the body portions of the sections. In theembodiment shown, the vibrator has four of these vanes, but this numbermay be varied if desired. The vanes I9 at the portions adjacent theflanges 'I and 8 are of substantially the same width as the flanges. Thewidth of the ilanges, however, decreases in a direction upwardly fromthe flange 8 so as to provide a reduced or neck .portion 20 of adiameter substantially equal lto the diameter of the body portion of theintermediate section 4. The width of the flanges then increases so thatin the region of the flange I2 at the upper end of the intermediatecasing section, the vanes I9 are of substantiallyv the same width as theflange I2. The vanes I9 increase the eiliciency of the compacting actionon the concrete. The reduced or neck portion 20 provided on the vibratorby narrowing or eliminating the vanes I9 at that portion enables theconcrete to close in about the vibrator at the neck portion so thatvibration is imparted to the concrete radially in all directions, thatis, laterally, downwardly and upwardly, thereby increasing theeffectiveness of the vibrating action.

An electric motor indicated generally by the reference numeral 24 islocated in the upper casing section 3. The stator 25 of the motor litstightly Within the casing section 3 and rests on an inwardly extendingflange 26. Electric current is supplied to the windings 2`I of thestator by means of a flexible conduit 28 which extends upwardly througha head 29 and through a coupling section 30 to which a flexible hose,not

shown, may be connected. The flexible hose is provided with a handlewhich may be grasped by the operator, the ilexible hose furtherdecreasing any transmission of vibration to the hands of the operator.The conduit 28 extends through the flexible hose to a source of electriccurrent. Sealing means 3| is provided in the head 29 for preventinginleakage of concrete.

'Ihe drive shaft 32 of the motor armature 33 Ais mounted in ballbearings 34 and 35 supported, respectively, in heads 29 and 35a, themotor, bearings and electrical conductor 28 all being located in theupper casing section 3. The motor or driving shaft 32 is connected to adriven or eccentric shaft 34 by means of a flexible driving connection38. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, this flexible drivingconnection is made of rubber and is provided with recesses 31 and 38 forreceiving the shafts 32 and 34, respectively. Each of the shafts isprovided with splines 39 and the shafts are molded into the exiblecoupling. This provides a flexible resilient dn'ving connection betweenthe drive shaft and the eccentric shaft.

A weight 40 is mounted eccentrically on the shaft 34 so that uponrotation of the shaft the tions 4 and 5 to vibrate in a circle relativeto the upper casing section 3, this vibration being l permitted due tothe resilient connection between the casing sections 3 and 4. Thevibration is transmitted radially in all directions .due to the shape ofthe vanes I8. Ihe resilient coupling and sealing means between thecasing sections 3 and 4 prevents vibration being transmitted to theupper section which contains the motor and motor bearings andlalsoprevents vibration from being transmitted to the operator.

'Ihe embodiment illustrated in Figure 3 is, generally speaking, similarto that just described, except that instead of employing a resilientdriving connection between the driving shaft and eccentric shaft, aninternal gear and pinion is employed. Also, in the embodiment shown inFigure 3, the eccentric or driven shaft is located so as to be oil'setor out of alinement with the driveshaft. Referring vto Figure 3, thecasing is formed of an upper sertion 50, an intermediate section 5l anda lower section 52. The sections 50 and 5| are connected together byresilient couplingL and sealing means 53 similar toI that previouslydescribed so as to allow relative vibration between the .two sections ofthe casing.

An internal gear 54a is secured to the lower end of the drive shaft 54.A pinion 55 located inside of the gear 54a and meshing with the teeth 56of the gear is secured to the upper endV of a driven or eccentric shaft51. 'I'he eccentric shaft is mounted in roller bearings 53 and 59, andsecured te the shaft intermediate these bearings is an eccentric weight6I. Rotation of the eccentric weight causes vibration of the casingsections 5i and 52 relative to the upper casing section 5l, as in theembodiment previously described. The pinion 55 tits loosely in theinternal gear 54a so as' to allow for this relative vibration of thecasing sections and still provide a flexible driving connection for theeccentric weight.

'I'he formation of the casing in a plurality of sections provides readyaccess to the operating mechanism located within the casing. It has beenfound that'where the casing is made ina plurality ci' sections rigidlyconnected together by bolts without the use of a resilient connectionbetween the sections, the vibration is transmitted from the lower to theupper section, rapidly wearing out the bolts and 'causing the sectionsto fall apart or at least' to allow leakagel of cement into theinterior. The resilient coupling and sealing means, particularly whenemployed in connection with the non-resilient spacing sleevessurrounding the bolts, provides an effective arrangement forallowinglimited relative vibration between the casing sections and preventingthe vibration from'being transmitted from one section tothe other. Ithas been found to materially increase the life of the vibratingapparatus.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 3, I have shown the eccentricshaft 51 in an offset position relative to the drive shaft 54. Thisarrangement increases the vibration of the lower casing section. Theoffset arrangement of the eccentric shaft with respect to the driveshaft may be employed not only with the internal gear and pinion drivingconnection illustrated in Figure 3, but may be employed also inconnection withthe resilient driving connection 36 illustrated in Figurel. In-this case the recesses 31 rvand 38 provided in the rubber coupling38 are offset to receive the drive shaft and driven shaft.

I have illustrated and described two embodiments .of my invention. It isto be understood, however, that the invention may be otherwise embodiedwithin the scope of the following claims.

I claim;

1. Apparatus for compacting concrete and the like, comprising a casingformed of a plurality of sections, resilient coupling means connectingthe sections together, a motor having a driveshaft and bearings thereforall located in one section, an eccentric shaft, bearings therefor and aneccentric weight associated with the eccentric shaft all located inanother section, and a yielding driving connection between the driveshaft and the eccentric shaft, the drive shaft and eccentric shaft beingout of alinement with each other.

2. Apparatus for compacting concrete and the like, comprising a casingformed of a plurality of sections, resilient coupling means connectingthe sections together, a motor having a drive shaft and bearingstherefor all located in one section, Aan eccentric shaft, bearingstherefor and an eccentric weight associated with the eccentric shaft alllocated in another section, and an interna] gear and pinion drivingconnection between the drive shaft and eccentric shaft,` the driveshaftv and eccentric shaft being out of alinement with each other.

3. Apparatus for compacting concrete and the like, comprising a casingformed of a plurality of sections having spaced apart flanges on theiradjacent ends, resilient sealing means between the flanges, boltsextending through the flanges and sealing means and connecting thesections together in such manner as to allow relative movement betweenthe sections, non-resilient spacing sleeves surrounding the bolts, andmeans inside the casing for causing vibration of the dinerent sectionsrelative to each other.

4. Apparatus for compacting concrete and the like, comprising aV casingformed of a plurality of sections, said casing adapted to be submergedin the concrete. resilient coupling means connecting the sectionstogether, a motor having a drive shaft and bearings therefor, alllocated in one section, an eccentric shaft, bearings therefor andaneccentric weight associated with the eccentric shaft, all located inanother section, a yielding driving connection between the drive shaftand the eccentric shaft, and ilexible supporting means connected to thecasing whereby the section of the casingcontaining the motor may besubmerged in the concrete.

